


Bonds in Bloom

by Anonymous



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Alpha Ignis Scientia, Alpha Noctis Lucis Caelum, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Family Drama, Friendship, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Omega Gladiolus Amicitia, Omega Prompto Argentum, Pack Bonding, Royal Drama, Soap Opera, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:53:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26716318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Gladio is in the unique position of being an omega Shield to an alpha Prince, in love with his liege, and walking the tightrope between love and duty. It's not easy to be an omega anyway, but Gladio's managed this long. It's made easier by the presence of an omega friend, Prompto. However, an incident and accident results in an earth-shaking shift in their group dynamics, with Prompto and Gladio each struggling to hold onto their respective places in the world without losing anything or getting hurt in the process. However, this will be easier said than done, especially given where each of them stand and everything at stake.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum, Gladiolus Amicitia/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto Argentum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21
Collections: Anonymous





	1. The Tipping Point

**Author's Note:**

> It's time for some self-indulgent nonsense published on anon. Check the tags. 
> 
> I previously shared a fic titled ["Take The Drop,"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163473) an exploration of A/B/O dynamics in FFXV, and decided I wanted to take another crack at it, because I loved the idea of omega!Gladio, but I wanted to do it with the ships I liked best. So, while that fic was Promptis/implied Gladnis, this fic is Gladnoct/Promnis. However, the most important relationship is going to be the friendship between Gladio and Prompto. 
> 
> With that in mind, READ THE TAGS. And enjoy.

**Bonds in Bloom**

**1: The Tipping Point**

Gladio always felt a little more excited than he knew he really ought to when he arrived at the monument in Optimus Park to see Prompto already there, windbreaker tied around his waist, tying his running shoes. Meeting up with Prompto was a treat, like getting a milkshake after a marathon workout - special even if it seemed commonplace. Prompto was a good kid, earnest, if a little goofy and jumpy, and Gladio had gone most of his life without another omega friend so it was nice to finally have one. 

The Citadel was dominated by alphas and betas. Omegas had their places, but even though explicit discrimination was outlawed, there were definitely still tacit forms of discrimination that kept omegas from moving up the ranks in both government and in the military. Gladio was fortunate that he was born to his position - he wasn’t the first omega Shield and likely wouldn’t be the last, but there was no way an omega would naturally get promoted to a position this close to the prince. When Noctis presented alpha, Gladio thought he was done for, but his father just reminded him of his responsibilities and told him explicitly that nothing changed, only to remember that his duty came first. 

Gladio was devoted to Noctis. In more ways than his dad ever really needed to know. However, it remained a fact that Gladio had no omegas to associate with until Noctis had befriended Prompto. 

“Hey, Prompto!” Gladio waved to him as he jogged the last fifty meters to the monument, reaching it just as Prompto finished tying his shoes and to his feet to greet Gladio with a high five.

“Hey there, big guy!” He had to jump a little, but Gladio didn’t make him fight too hard to reach. 

“You ready?” He stood a little closer to Prompto than maybe was really proper, but he couldn’t help it. It felt right. 

Prompto didn’t mind the proximity, for sure; he grinned up at him, head tipped back just a little to meet his eyes. “Yeah, for sure!”

“Once around the perimeter?”

“Twice, if you have the time.” Prompto patted his flat belly, and Gladio, knowing what was coming, raised an eyebrow. “I’m one of those unlucky Os that gains weight whenever he looks at anything fatty, and Iggy said he’s making ramen tonight, so I gotta work out to earn my carb-load!”

Gladio punched his shoulder. “One, you’re cute as a button and Iggy loves you just the way you are, two, he’d love you a hundred pounds heavier, and three, you’re exaggerating.” Prompto pinked to the ears, and Gladio tweaked his cheek. “But fine, I need to work on my endurance running.”

“Thanks!” Prompto beamed up at him, and Gladio grinned back, then knelt to double-knot his shoes as Prompto took a guzzle of water from a bottle left on the monument’s steps and amped himself up with a few jumping jacks. 

Then, the two of them set off for a long jog around the park, side by side. Prompto was faster than Gladio, but he slowed his sprint to keep pace with him. Gladio appreciated both the company on his morning run and the companionship, and someone to keep up with.

Gladio had liked Prompto from the start. He knew exactly what Noctis saw in Prompto. He was a good kid, easy to talk to, always had a big smile. There was the initial mistrust of someone trying to befriend the Prince, of course, but a few days of seeing how the two of them got along told Gladio everything he needed to know - if anything, Noctis was the bad influence between the two, since he was the one who encouraged them to skip school and skive to the arcade. He also quickly picked up on Prompto being isolated in his own way - Prompto’s parents never seemed to be around, and he didn’t seem to have anyone else to turn to. Gladio did what he could to vouch for Prompto with Noctis’ other security. (Ignis did the same, but then, Gladio had seen that coming the first time he saw the way Ignis looked at Prompto.) Gladio was the first to step up if Prompto seemed to be in trouble, like when he noticed Prompto’s shoes starting to fall apart and made a new set of sneakers in his size appear like magic. When Prompto had to move out of his parents’ house the day after graduation, Gladio was the first to volunteer to help move him into Crownsguard housing, and when Prompto started basic training, Gladio kept an eye on him to make sure the alphas in his training group didn’t push him around. Even now, as Prompto was in his specialized training with an elite group - on track to join Noctis’ retinue by spring - Gladio kept an eye on him. Prompto deserved that, if not because he was a good kid who was good company, then because he was someone Gladio could talk to about omega bullshit.

They had shared more than a few conversations about alpha bullshit. Gladio didn't have the privilege of complaining to too many people, and it was a relief to have a buddy to complain to about it.

After their jog, the two of them took a cooldown lap around the monument square, walking the sidewalk around the pillar erected in memory of King Mors, then sat by where Prompto had left a gym bag, sharing bottles of water and shooting the breeze. Prompto's phone went off while they were talking, and he scrunched his face and checked it. 

"It's that late already? Aw man." He reached into his bag for a little pink plastic container, popped out a tiny white pill, and swallowed it with a gulp of water.

Gladio had a feeling he knew what that was.

"You on suppressants? I had no idea."

"Well, yeah, sure." Prompto shrugged. "Until I met Iggy, heats were hell by myself, and suppressants make them a lot more manageable. Plus, it's all-in-one birth control too! So now that I've met Iggy and all, not only are my pseudo-heats way easier to deal with, I won't have to worry about any accidents."

Gladio snorted. “Lucky you.” 

“What, you mean you’re _not_ on suppressants?” Prompto, appalled, pulled an exaggerated look of shock.

“Nope.” He popped the “p” and rolled his eyes. “Dad says he’s concerned that if I took suppressants, it’d mess up my testosterone and I wouldn’t build muscle like I should. He just says that when I get a heat, if I spend it with someone, I have to use protection because he’ll disown me if I get knocked up with some random alpha’s bastard.” 

Prompto pulled a face. “Rude.”

“Eh, I get it. If I did, I’d be out of commission for months, and not be able to do my job, and it’d look bad for someone in my position to be pregnant out of wedlock.” Gladio shrugged, then drained his water bottle and crushed the plastic in his hand. “Besides, my heats are irregular anyway, and he doesn’t need to know I’m not just spending them with just anyone. If a royal bastard got involved, that’d be real trouble.”

That got a snort out of Prompto. “I guess, yeah. Is there some reason you and Noct aren’t really supposed to, y’know-” he motioned with his hands, “be together?”

Gladio tipped his head side to side a few times, considering. “It was never spelled out to me, but it was always kind of like, the Shield line is the Shield line, and the Royal line is the Royal line. Besides, if the King and Shield got together, who would be the next Prince’s Shield? Would they have to have a younger sibling act as Shield, even if that younger sibling is the second prince? Lotta gray areas.” He scuffed his shoes against the sidewalk. “It’s pretty clear to me, whatever Noct and I have together ends when Regis decides on a politically advantageous marriage.” The words _politically advantageous_ came out like already-been-chewed gum, tasteless and bitten-off hard. Prompto nudged his arm, and Gladio sighed and conceded, “But we both know, and we’re just going to appreciate what we have until then.”

“Yeah? I kinda feel the same way about Iggy.” Prompto put the cap back on his empty bottle, gaze carefully on the ground. “I was so thrilled when he asked me out, because how often do you meet a guy like him? But he’s… he’s him. He’s nobility, and so smart, and so smooth, and I’m sure he’s going to find someone who’d be better than me.”

Gladio punched Prompto’s shoulder harder this time. “He doesn’t have obligations like me and Noct do. He’s with you because he wants to be, and nobody’s going to make him be with anyone else. I told you. He loves you.”

Prompto gave a noncommittal hum and absently rubbed his shoulder. “I dunno. But I guess we’ll see.” He jumped up to his feet, then turned and offered his hand to Gladio. “We better get over to the Citadel, I’ve got training in twenty.”

Gladio took Prompto’s offered hand and pulled himself to his feet, then checked the time on his phone. His background was him and Noctis fishing at the Channels just outside the walls, Noctis showing off his catch and Gladio with an arm around his shoulder and he couldn’t help but smile as he swiped past. “Yeah, I gotta be in charge of training in twenty. Race you there!” He slapped Prompto on the back and set off in a jog, and Prompto squawked in protest as he scrambled to grab his duffel bag and gave chase, quickly racing past Gladio as they ran for the Citadel.

Gladio loved having a friend who he could talk to about this stuff. He and Prompto each deserved someone who could push each other forward and prop each other up.

* * *

The group usually met up at Noctis’ penthouse, and tonight was no exception. When Gladio strolled in, Ignis and Noctis were already there, Noctis at the kitchen table, toweling his hair and languidly flipping through a report, and Ignis slicing up roasted pork belly. “Hey, Igs. That smells awesome.”

“Thank you.” Ignis’ eyes gleamed, clearly pleased with the compliment. “Dinner should be but a few moments more, ready when Prompto arrives from his afternoon job.”

“You gotta make him quit, Iggy. He trains all morning then works? He’s gonna die.” Noctis tipped his head back, the towel sliding off of his hair. He’d showered after training with Gladio, but Gladio could still smell his natural scent under his citrusy shower gel and lavender shampoo. It might have just been a sense memory from earlier, when Noctis had Gladio pinned to the ground with his sword at his throat and his boot on his belly, both of them panting and sweating and - 

Shit, Gladio was half-mast in his sweats. 

He swaggered over to Noctis, as Ignis said something about how _some people_ can do more than one thing in a day without taking a nap, then leaned over the back of his chair to kiss him.

“Hey,” he husked against Noctis’ ear. “Funny seeing you again here.”

Noctis kissed him back, then smiled against his mouth. “You can’t take your eyes off me and you know it.” He tugged a loose strand of Gladio’s hair. “Then again, maybe you did and that’s why I kicked your ass earlier.”

Gladio just kissed him again. “Brat,” he whispered, all affection and only a little heat. Noctis grinned up at him, cheeky and sharp. 

He and Noctis had somehow gone from bodyguard and charge to friends to lovers. Noctis had asked Gladio on a date not too long after he’d presented alpha, first saying he wanted to learn how to woo someone from someone who knew a lot about love. Gladio quickly figured out that Noctis was asking questions about “what do omegas like? You’re an omega, so you’d know, right?” to try to suss him out. Clumsy brat. He’d had to tell Noctis flat out:

“I might be omega, but you’re not gonna get me to roll over that easily.”

Noctis had convinced him. Gladio had wanted him to. Noctis kept asking him out after training, sometimes to the noodle shop where he worked part time, sometimes to the arcade, sometimes to an all-you-can-eat steakhouse Noctis knew Gladio liked. Noctis fought harder in training to impress him. The two of them were friends anyway. It was almost natural that their little spars were turning into lover’s spats, and every time Noctis caught Gladio off-guard with a good quip or a hard blow, every time Noctis stood tall and proved that he was becoming a little more of a Prince, Gladio fell a little harder. 

He wondered if he hadn’t rolled over too easily, but when Noctis kissed him over his beard and cheeks and forehead, he was fine with it. 

Noctis rubbed his nose to Gladio’s, then kissed down his neck. Ignis, knowing their situation, rolled his eyes against an exasperated smile and averted his eyes as Noctis nuzzled the crook at the join of Gladio’s neck and shoulder. “You smell good today. Did you put on fresh cologne?” 

“I took a quick shower after training, but the rest is all me.” Gladio turned his head to catch Noctis with a quick kiss. “You know you love it.”

“Yeah.” Noctis kissed him back, then ran fingers through his hair. 

Gladio knew it couldn’t last, something would change, something would give, but he would soak up every second of this he could. 

Behind him, Ignis received a phone call. He quickly wiped his hands and scooped it up, and Gladio heard Ignis’ side of the conversation around Noctis stroking his hair: “Hallo, darling - yes? … Is that so? That time of the season already? - Of course you’re welcome. We’ll make our excuses early if we must…” The conversation became indistinct, but Gladio could still see Ignis’ warm smile out of the corner of his eye.

To look at him, one would never assume Ignis Scientia to be alpha. From the outside, he had none of the stereotypical traits; he wasn’t especially large or broad, never especially domineering, never asserted himself where it wasn’t appropriate. He was genteel and polite, amenable and courteous: mild-mannered. His attitude generally spoke of a beta. Gladio knew better. Gladio had seen him subtly slide his opinion in on council discussions and brooking no argument by simply not allowing anyone else an opportunity. Gladio had watched Ignis shut Noctis’ tantrums down with a look. Gladio delighted in the way Ignis, in his understated way, preened under Prompto’s adoring attention. 

It was probably because Ignis was, generally speaking, the least senior alpha in any given group of alphas (and the Citadel was _full_ of groups of alphas), either by age or by station. Older alphas took priority out of a societal respect for elders (as much bullshit as Gladio thought that was, but Ignis held to it), and Ignis was the son of a noble family, but not a Lord, so most of the council and authority figures in the Citadel held some rank on Ignis, one way or another. However, when Ignis had found out that some of the other trainees in Prompto’s group had been bullying him, Gladio found out that Ignis growled like every other alpha and like no other alpha, because nobody bullied Prompto where Ignis could see. 

Prompto arrived a few minutes after his phone call, and Ignis greeted him with an embrace, nuzzling his neck and kissing his forehead. Gladio could scent Prompto from ten paces where he was holding Noctis while reading over some of Noctis’ papers, and the faint contented hum rumbling off of Prompto made him feel warm, too. 

After that, the night was like many of the nights they spent together. The four of them shared a meal, and then they all settled in for a movie. It was their ritual, whenever they could all make the time to manage it (usually twice or three times a week). Noctis and Prompto would sit in the middle of the sofa and play games or throw on something for them all to watch while unwinding, and Gladio and Ignis would slot alongside them on the ends. Noctis would cuddle up against Gladio on his side, his head on Gladio’s shoulder and teasing his hair, while Prompto would sit against Ignis while Ignis answered emails on his phone or even had his laptop open on his knee. 

However, something went different on this night.

Midway through the movie, there was a shift in the air, and Gladio sensed the tension in Noctis, then caught a whiff of pheromones. Coffee. Gladio glanced across the sofa and saw that Ignis wasn’t paying attention to his laptop, fingers buried in Prompto’s hair, mouth covering his. Noctis was watching, tensely wound, and suddenly, under the strong odor of coffee flooding the room, Gladio realized he was smelling Prompto’s pre-heat, sweet like cinnamon and mint.

Noctis was rigid beside Gladio. Obviously, he had scented it too and the combined scent of Ignis one degree off of a rut and Prompto in pre-heat were setting his instincts on fire. 

All too suddenly, as if Ignis had suddenly become aware of his audience again, he broke away from Prompto and abruptly closed his laptop. “I’m afraid I’ll have to call it an early evening.” He hooked Prompto by the arm, as Prompto, dreamy-eyed and noodle-legged, stumbled up after him. Gladio choked back a laugh as Ignis gathered his things without letting go of Prompto, rattling off what he needed Noctis to take care of by the next day, “and I may be a bit late, depending.”

Noctis just grunted and waved Ignis off. “Go, just go.”

Ignis smirked and tightened his hold on Prompto, and Gladio caught a flash of animal instinct in his eyes in the glint of light from the hallway. “Have a good evening.”

“You too, though I imagine that goes without saying.” Gladio laughed to himself as he closed the door on the two of them. Ignis lived two floors down, and Gladio almost envied whoever was watching the security camera tonight because they were about to get a show in the elevator. He turned back around to Noctis, but in a second, Noctis had gotten up and crossed the room, right into Gladio’s personal space. 

He buried his face in Gladio’s chest and nuzzled his breastbone, his hands crept around his waist, and for a long moment, he just _breathed._ Gladio inhaled sharply as Noctis slotted himself against him, warmth creeping up through his chest as Noctis’ hands crept down his waist. He stepped back, only to surge up and claim Gladio’s mouth.

“When I pinned you earlier?” He held Gladio’s gaze, storm-cloud eyes dark, pupils dilated, breathing intense. “I was practicing for tonight.” 

Hands curled in the fabric of his sweatshirt, fingers pressing into skin, and Gladio was hard already. Heat churned in his gut as Noctis kissed him deep on the mouth, then down his neck to collarbone, and he seized Noctis’ shirt and yanked him close again, kissing Noctis hard on his mouth.

It kept Noctis from marking him. He could have Noctis here, behind closed doors, but a mark on his neck would reveal them, and his relationship and job would be over. 

Noctis dragged him back towards the bedroom, already yanking on his belt loops, demanding his attention. Gladio, drawn in like a river to the sea, followed. 

This was just what it was to be alpha and omega in the Citadel. Gladio was willing to walk the balancing act for Noctis for as long as he could, because Noctis was worth it.

He had no way of knowing that this night marked the tipping point.

* * *

Gladio could see Prompto at the monument in Optimus Park the next morning, shoes tied, windbreaker still zipped, sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, and though Gladio waved as he jogged to join him, Prompto didn’t seem to be looking, instead looking at his phone in his hands. When he got close, he felt the tension in his quaking shoulders and taut arms. He frowned, cocking his head and setting his hands on his hips, as Prompto continued to look at his phone, urgently tapping and scrolling through a web page.

“Prompto? What’s up, you ready?”

“Huh?!” Prompto startled, phone clattering from his hand, eyes wide and arms thrown back. Gladio whistled. 

“High strung much?” Gladio crouched to pick up his phone as Prompto caught his breath and offered it back to him, and Prompto snatched it back harder than he meant to, color in his cheeks.

“Sorry,” he blurted, shaking his head. “I - uh - Yeah, I’m ready.” He stuffed his phone in his jacket pocket, but as he tried to stand, Gladio took his shoulder and pushed him back down.

“I don’t believe you.” He smiled easily as Prompto, evincing comfort and openness. “What’s up? Something happen last night?” Prompto went rigid where he sat, and Gladio leaned close, crouching down as low as he could. “We’re friends. One O to another. You can tell me anything.”

Prompto bit his lip, then nervously tugged the zipper on his windbreaker down. “It was an accident.” He revealed his neck, and the fresh mating mark coloring the join of his neck and shoulder, right at the pulse point. Gladio could still see the imprint of teeth, and the bruise around it had bloomed purple and red. Prompto swallowed hard. “Iggy did it by accident and I don’t know what to do.” 

Gladio did. He held out a hand to Prompto. “We can miss one run. Come on, I’m taking you to the O center.” Prompto sucked his lower lip in, nodded, and took Gladio’s hand. 

Prompto was Gladio’s only omega friend. Gladio would be the first one to step up for him, especially when it came to problems only another omega would understand.


	2. 2: The Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto faces the consequences of Ignis' enthusiasm, under Gladio's scrutiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes some additional details about how the a/b/o dynamics work in this world. If you have questions, just ask!

**2: The Accident**

The Omega Center was misnamed, in Gladio’s opinion. Yes, the clinicians and nurses there were trained to do anything an omega might need for bodily and reproductive health. They could perform pelvic exams suited to each omega’s unique anatomy, offer STD and pregnancy tests, provided suppressants, contraceptives, and loads of other services for omegas anywhere on the gender spectrum. However, they also provided health services to transmen and transwomen, transomegas, transbetas, and transalphas, female-presenting beta and alpha women, and could even offer basic services to beta and alpha men, such as basic diagnosis of minor ailments and prescribing antibiotics. However, because most of the services were for omegas and the first centers were founded for providing services to disadvantaged omegas who couldn’t afford private doctors (see: Prompto), the name had stuck.

Prompto sat hunched in the waiting room chair with his ticket number in hand, swinging his legs nervously with the completed paperwork on his knee, as Gladio finished texting Cor a truncated explanation for why the two of them were missing training:  _ “Prompto’s sick, I’m escorting him to the doctor.” _

Sick. Sure. That was one way to put it. This was an accidental mate bond. Mate bonds were usually something to be celebrated, the cherry on the cake for a couple, the permanent binding mark that sealed the deal on a marriage or permanent partnership. Most people would have their wedding, then return from their honeymoon with healing bite marks and coy blushes whenever someone looked on them. Not Prompto. Prompto had a big blooming bruise over his neck, right on the pulse point, and he was sunken into himself with shame.

“So,” Gladio said as he tucked his phone away. “Accident? What can you tell me?”

Prompto swallowed hard, eyes on his knees. “Uh. So.” He cleared his throat, then spoke softly. “I… I really should’ve known better. Should’ve warned Iggy. But apparently I’ve always had pretty intense pheromones? And I’ve had issues where all the omegas in my high school classes ended up syncing their heats with mine.” He hung his head. “I should’ve told Iggy to take a rut blocker, because apparently, me coming onto my pseudo last night induced a rut.”

Gladio’s eyes widened. Had he ever seen Ignis hit a rut before? 

“Usually I let him know, but with training, it just slipped my mind.” Prompto sighed. “And… it just got really intense last night. And -” His breath caught, and he touched his neck again, lightly feeling over the raised bump where the bite mark was still swollen. “It just sort of happened."

“Shit.” Gladio huffed out an anxious breath. “What did he say about it?”

There was an electronic noise, and Prompto’s number echoed from the loudspeaker. Prompto stood, then glanced to Gladio. “Uh, you mind coming with?”

“Not at all.” Gladio stood and followed Prompto to the examination room. He didn't miss that Prompto had just blown off his question.

The doctor was a friendly omega with curly silver hair. She didn’t mind Gladio hanging out in one of the plastic chairs as she examined Prompto, weighed and measured him, took his temperature, listened to his heartbeat, then finally had Prompto remove his jacket and shirt. Ignis’ mating bite had done a number on Prompto - the mark had bloomed around to the back of his neck, and the bruise a kaleidoscope of warm colors from deep crimson to a reddish purple to dawn-pink at the edges.

“It was an accident,” Prompto explained in the same shy mumble. The doctor tutted under her breath as she cleaned it with a swab doused in some sort of herbal cleanser.

“Accidents do happen. Did you clean it afterwards?”

“I don’t even think I realized it happened until I woke up a few hours later.” Prompto bit his lip. “It was legit, like, the heat of the moment. I was in my pseudo, I didn’t feel anything but pleasure while my alpha was… y’know.” He swallowed thickly. “He’s a good man, okay? He wouldn’t have mated me on purpose without asking me.”

The doctor hummed inquisitively. “And did you claim him in return?”

Prompto shook his head. “He was still sleeping, but I checked his neck.” That caught in Gladio’s ear and he frowned, but Prompto, still looking between the doctor's shoes and his own knees, didn't notice. “I didn't, um, see a mark, and honestly, given the angles we were at when it happened, it doesn’t seem likely I would’ve been able to.” 

Gladio suppressed a snort. Now was not the time. He was still stuck on the facts that Prompto had divulged, and all that he hadn’t. 

The doctor hummed to herself as she finished her examination, folding her hands as she took a seat in a stool. “It’s a neat bite, no tears, not too deep. You should keep the mark clean and try to let it breathe. It should heal and shrink over the next few days -”

“Yeah, but it’s not mutual.” Prompto was breathless. “Isn’t it…” His hands twisted where they gripped the examination table. “It’s a problem, right? I’m gonna be tied to him. Aren't one-way bonds super-dangerous?” 

“That’s a  _ bit  _ of an exaggeration.” The doctor pinched her fingers together, then laced her hands on her knee. “Accidental claiming bites between casual partners are actually not uncommon, especially during heat or rut. If there are limited emotional ties, your body should naturally heal.” There was a beat of silence, and Prompto bit his lip and bowed his head, but the doctor didn’t seem to notice. “Limiting contact with your sexual partner will also likely speed the process. It takes more than just a bite to bond; there has to be an emotional connection. Cutting that off will break the bond, and you’ll recover soon.” She smiled brightly, and Gladio let out a sigh.

“Thanks, doc.”

Prompto, too, mumbled thanks as he stood, and he zipped his windbreaker up over his neck again.

All the way out of the clinic, Gladio watched Prompto’s sunken shoulders and wondered what he was holding back. However, out in front of the center, Gladio finally seized him and forced him to turn around. “What did Ignis say? When you told him about the bite?”

“I…” The open thought hung, and Gladio already knew what Prompto was going to say before he finally spat it out: “didn’t.” He huffed out a deep sigh, and Gladio scrubbed his eyes with his palm.

“Why the hell not? What, did you just scoot out before he woke up?”

“Left a note,” Prompto mumbled. “Training.” 

“Seriously.” Gladio felt like he’d been kicked in the gut, and he was ready to slap the stupid out of Prompto. “You didn’t talk to him?! What, did he not see it? You’re not the kind of O to walk out on an alpha, are you?!”

The regret hit immediately. Prompto slouched, mumbling something about “in the dark,” and “didn’t walk out,” and Gladio groaned and bent down to get nose to nose with him. 

“Tell me what happened. Come on.” 

Prompto, head hung, was silent for a long moment. Then, “He bit me while we were making love. He was in rut last night, I don’t think he knew he was doing it.”

“That’s no damn excuse for not talking to him!” Gladio groaned and sat back on his haunches, and Prompto winced and shook his head. 

“I… I couldn’t.”

“Explain it to me like I’m stupid, because-”

“Because he’d  _ take responsibility.” _

There was a hard finality in those words. Prompto had balled his fists. “He’d take responsibility,” Prompto muttered, as angry as he was sad now, “and he’d let me bond him back, and he’d be stuck with me forever when he didn’t want to be, all over a mistake in the heat of the moment. And I’d be his  _ default _ choice because he made one stupid mistake.” He shivered and turned away from Gladio. “If Iggy bonds with me, it should be because he  _ wants _ to bond with me. Because he wants to be my mate.”

Shit, if Gladio thought about it that way, it made sense. Mate bonds were usually permanent. They caused a certain amount of shared emotions and a more intimate connection to the other partner, in an ineffable way - bonded partners could sense their other half’s emotions even across a distance, feel their pain as their own - but they also caused a physiological, emotional, and mental need to honor that bond. A long enough separation or dramatic enough change in feelings could cause one to break, but that break had to be mutual. An unsatisfied mate bond, one that was one-way or that wasn’t being fulfilled, caused severe emotional pain. 

Ignis wouldn’t make Prompto suffer that. 

Ignis probably would reciprocate the mate bond moment he realized he hadn’t, and make the bond with Prompto mutual. However, he would do it out of obligation, from Prompto’s point of view. Prompto didn't think Ignis had bonded him because he wanted him, the bite had been a mistake driven by rut hormones and instinct, and Prompto didn’t want to trap Ignis into a lifelong mate bond after a mistake. Gladio got it. Even if Ignis didn’t love Prompto, he wouldn’t make Prompto suffer the strains of an unfulfilled mate bond, but who would want to be mated to someone out of obligation rather than love? However:

“He does love you. You have to know that.” Gladio shook his head. “Ignis loves you, and he’s not the kind of guy who would get so rut-addled that he’d just claim any random omega.”

“Well, duh, of course not.” Prompto’s tones were chilled now, his head low. “But we’ve only been seeing each other a few years. I’m… I’m not worth it.” The words dwindled to a whisper. “Why would he want to be with a nobody like me forever?” 

“Prompto-” 

But Prompto was already turning away, and Gladio had to chase him a step to grab his shoulder and stop him. Prompto shoved him off.

“No, look.” He hung his head. “It’s… it’s fine. The doctor said that if we aren’t emotionally connected, it’ll go away. It’ll scab over and go away, and maybe someday, after I make Crownsguard and earn my rank, I’ll be someone he wants to keep forever.” He took a few steps away from Gladio. “I… if I jog, I can make the afternoon training session. See ya.” Without another word, Prompto took off in a run, and Gladio didn’t have a chance to stop him. He sprinted the first hundred yards after him, but Prompto was long gone before he reached the parking lot. 

Damn the zippy little bastard. Gladio groaned and dropped onto a bench, leaves crunching under his boots as he sank down and put his head in his hands.

Ignis  _ loved _ Prompto. Gladio knew it. Were they at a point in their relationship where they wanted to mate for life? That wasn’t Gladio’s decision to make, nor something he could know. However, if Prompto decided he had to drive a wedge between them to break the bond, then it would break more. It could break the two of them to pieces. 

Gladio couldn’t just stand by and let it happen, but he didn’t know what he could actually do to change it.

Tell Ignis? Yeah, and lose the trust of his only real Omega friend. 

Knock some sense into Prompto? Wouldn’t work. Probably would just upset him more.

Try and convince Prompto to talk to Ignis? He could try again, and probably would, again and again, until his throat got sore and he got sick of Prompto’s sad puppydog eyes.

This couldn’t last. 


End file.
